On the gloriously sunny morning of July 5 2024, Keir Starmer walked into Downing Steet as prime minister for the first time, having won a stonking 174-strong majority in the general election the day before. On a similarly warm morning a little less than two years later, he has been forced to stand outside Number 10 and announce his resignation. How did it come to this?

The resignation speech, marked with pathos and dignity, was particularly surprising because, as the prime minister made clear, he had built up a substantial record, doing the kind of things Labour leaders are meant to do.

The minimum wage has increased, employment rights for workers have been enhanced, waiting lists in the NHS have come down, half a million children are being lifted out of poverty, and the economy has grown in difficult times (albeit at sluggish rate). On the controversial issue of immigration, the numbers have come down.

For his supporters, Starmer is an unshowy but decent man approaching his job with proper seriousness and with a feeling for the national interest. Yet on the doorstep, MPs found that the response to Starmer was often one of visceral hatred. His polling numbers plummeted, amid complaints that his promise to deliver “change” in 2024 had not materialised.

Prime ministers in the past have often endured periods of unpopularity. In 1980-81, Margaret Thatcher was deeply unpopular and yet went on to win two further general elections. Yet this moment feels different – which explains why Starmer felt he had to go.

Despite its huge majority, the government was never that popular. It won because of the huge unpopularity of the Conservatives in office, especially after the debacles of the Boris Johnson and Liz Truss premierships. Starmer’s victory came off the back of a remarkably slim vote share of 33.7% in an election with a near-historically low turnout.

‘No such thing as Starmerism’

The new government appeared rudderless because it never established a compelling vision for the country. The prime minister is on record as saying: “There is no such thing as Starmerism and there never will be!”

Starmer’s approach was serious but technocratic, showing no interest in ideas or principles. This left it looking out of touch when confronted by populist movements of the right (Nigel Farage’s Reform UK) and the left (Zack Polanski’s Greens), who established a strong emotional connection with voters. Starmer has offered a centrist government at a time when the energy in politics is flowing away from the centre.

The government ran into trouble right from the start. It allowed itself to be defined by the decision to cut winter fuel payments for all but the poorest pensioners. This showed a complete lack of awareness of the politics of this move, which landed badly with voters.

Not long after this, it attempted to slash the spiralling welfare bill. On both issues it was forced into humiliating U-turns, which became the signature of the government. If this were not bad enough, the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington proved catastrophic once the revelations from the Jeffrey Epstein files were made public. Starmer, who had attempted to build a reputation for honesty and integrity, looked incompetent.

But the big issue for voters was the cost of living, even though the government had tried to combat in-work poverty through the minimum wage and employment rights. The reality for many voters though was that nothing much had changed and people felt they were still living in an age of austerity.

This partly explained the local election results in England in May 2026 when Labour won only 17% of the vote, while Reform UK achieved 26%. Labour lost the Senedd in Wales for the first time, to Plaid Cymru. Welsh Labour came third, and leader Eluned Morgan lost her seat.

The prospect of a Reform government was the threat that alarmed Labour MPs and pulled the rug from under Starmer. Andy Burnham’s victory in Makerfield (where Reform had won most of the council seats in May) suggested that he could bring voters back to the party.

Labour governments also suffer the polarising effects of a predominantly right-wing British media landscape. This often feeds on a sense of grievance and alienation, promoting resentment against immigrants and an “out-of-touch” elite. It appeared that Starmer wanted people to see issues in a complex and nuanced way in order that thoughtful solutions would emerge.

But that world may now be ceasing to exist. Voters increasingly want to see politics make an immediate difference. Many seem not to have heard of the work done on employment and health, among other matters. Some think that crime and immigration are going up, whereas the reverse is true. Starmer’s technocratic approach was always going to struggle in an age of populism.

How will historians view Starmer? A lot depends on what comes next. Should Labour renew itself in government (which is never an easy thing to do) then he will be seen as someone who remade Labour as a governing party and grappled with complex problems at home and abroad. He has fared better on the international stage than at home. Globally, he has maintained support for Ukraine, recognised a Palestinian state and kept the UK out of Trump’s war in Iran.

Should Reform UK win the next general election, Starmer will be seen as having ushered in a Farage government. His resignation speech revealed him as an honest leader who attempted to serve his country with seriousness and a desire to enhance the common good. Starmer has always been clear that it would take ten years to turn Britain round. His tragedy is that he got only two.

As Coronation Street revealed it was Sarah who killed Theo on Monday, actress Tina O’Brien addressed whether she could be leaving the ITV soap and her reaction to the twist

Coronation Street’s Sarah Platt has been exposed as Theo Silverton’s killer.

Now, actress Tina O’Brien, who has played the character since 1999, has addressed whether she’s about to bow out for good. Flashbacks during Monday’s episode confirmed what really happened to Theo, and who was to blame.

We saw Sarah accidentally killing Theo after he turned sinister. As he threatened her, she shoved him before hitting him over the head with a metal pole, leading to him plummeting off the scaffolding.

In the fallout, Sarah will be desperate to cover her tracks. But will she be caught out, and could it lead to a prison stint, or possibly a permanent exit from the ITV soap after after nearly 30 years in the role?

Tina shared: “It’s not just about her now, it’s about her family and her son, and there are times when she can’t cope with the pressure and you think she’s just going to hand herself in. And then she thinks about her son growing up without a mum, if she’s convicted and can’t prove she acted in self defence.

“And because of those things, she’s so desperate to do whatever it takes to be part of her family’s life.” It was her ex Gary that she frantically called for help, with him now keeping her secret.

With Gary’s rivalry with Sarah’s partner Kit Green now at boiling point, Tina explained why Sarah told Gary and not detective Kit. She said: “I think she absolutely went into panic mode, shocked, stunned and numb. She obviously didn’t know what to do, she didn’t know how to react and in that moment she thought, I can’t call Kit because of his job in the police.

“And so in that moment, she thought who can I call and it was Gary. There’s a lot of guilt there and I think also, selfishly, she feels like she’s ruined her chance with Kit, because if he knows what she’s done, he might not want her anymore and she so wanted him to be her future.”

This isn’t the first time Sarah has been caught up in a murder plot. Fans will recall that back in 2015, Sarah’s sister-in-law Kylie Platt murdered Sarah’s love interest Callum Logan. Callum had tried to attack Sarah, leading to Kylie killing him with a wrench.

Sarah and Kylie, with the help of Sarah’s brother David Platt, covered up the crime, and buried the body under their house. Sarah’s mental health spiralled in the fallout, and she was admitted to a psychiatric unit for treatment.

With Sarah caught up in another murder, Tina said this time her character could face prison. She teased: “If she’d have called the police straight away and explained what happened, she would have been in a much better situation, because it was clearly not pre-meditated, it was a situation where she felt she had no other choice.

“But to cover it up, to actively cover something up, she knows that she crossed a line that she can’t come back from.” She added on exit fears: “I genuinely didn’t worry, at the end of the day this job is incredible, but to be an actor is not necessarily a job for life. So, I just was really excited to be given the honour of being the murderer, and then hopefully, however it plays out, I’ll enjoy Sarah’s arc.”

So does this hint that Sarah will stick around? After keeping quiet for months, Tina shared: “I’ve literally been a big bag of nerves. It’s been so difficult, I told my mum and I just recently told my daughter Scarlett and my son Beau. You’re seeing all the chat on social media, everyone’s saying I think this, and I think that.

“Actually filming these scenes the weeks after have been the hardest thing I’ve ever filmed because I felt like my face looked guilty constantly and I thought everyone’s going to know it’s me instantly.”

It came as no surprise to Tina though that Sarah killed Theo. She explained: “I completely understand how it happened, why it happened. For me to get into her character and her head, I feel like in that moment, she didn’t feel like she had any other choice.”

Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok, Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads.

Starting later this year, the airline will begin flights to Reykjavik and Kittilä, marking its latest network expansion from Liverpool.

Flights to Reykjavik will launch on November 2 and operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays.

Kittilä, located in Finnish Lapland, will be served from November 25 on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“We are delighted to welcome more fantastic easyJet routes to Liverpool John Lennon Airport,” said Paul Winfield, aviation director at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

“Reykjavik and Kittilä are exciting additions, offering strong appeal for winter travel and festive getaways.

“easyJet’s continued growth here at the North West’s Faster, Easier, Friendlier Airport demonstrates the strength of the Liverpool market, and we anticipate these new services will be very popular with travellers across the region.”

Reykjavik offers travellers access to Iceland’s dramatic volcanic scenery, geothermal lagoons, waterfalls, and one of the world’s best vantage points for viewing the Northern Lights.

Kittilä, in the heart of Lapland, promises a classic winter wonderland with snow-covered landscapes, husky sledding, snowmobiling, skiing, and opportunities to meet Father Christmas.

“We’re excited to be adding these winter destinations to our growing network from Liverpool,” said Kevin Doyle, UK country manager at easyJet.

“Customers now have the opportunity to explore Iceland and Lapland, and we look forward to welcoming them on board these new routes.

“Our short-haul network from Liverpool offers unrivalled choice for those planning their holidays, making it easy to book and fly.”

easyJet’s network from Liverpool now offers 41 routes to 18 countries.

Over the past year, the airline has steadily grown its Liverpool presence, adding new routes and increasing fleet capacity.

This summer, easyJet will base a ninth aircraft at the airport, further expanding options for travellers across Europe and North Africa.

Comcast’s Xfinity services have suffered an outage, leaving thousands of users offline.

Xfinity delivers cable TV, internet, phone and wireless services to Comcast customers.

The outage was reported by users on Downdetector Monday afternoon. Just before 4:30 p.m. ET, 25,993 users had reported that Xfinity was down.

Most users, 80 percent, reported an issue with their TV, while 10 percent reported internet problems and 8 percent experienced issues with streaming services.

Xfinity users across the country reported issues, including in California, Colorado, Oregon, Florida, Georgia, Connecticut and Vermont.

Some users have said they were struggling to connect with support teams for help.

“No TV in Castle Rock, Colorado. Unable to reach support via app, phone, or text,” one customer wrote on Downdetector.

Another customer said, “Can’t even reach them on the phone. TV down, Internet works. Monmouth Beach, NJ.”

“Down in Aiken SC. No cable TV, but internet is still up. Customer service number is down as well,” a third wrote.

The Independent has reached out to Comcast for comment.

Just hours earlier, thousands of users on X were reporting problems accessing the social media platform.

At around 10 a.m. ET, 28,699 users reported an issue on Downdetector. The outage appeared to subside within the hour.

Flights have faced major disruption today

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Thunderstorms have caused major disruption at Bristol Airport. The adverse weather conditions have also reportedly caused a fire after the home was ‘hit by a lightening strike.’

The house roof has been engulfed in a raging fire which has been captured on video in Emerson’s Green on Monday evening (June 22).

A witness said the fire brigade arrived quickly and reported everyone got out safely.

Videos from the scene show a fierce fire in the roof with smoke billowing into the sky. Firefighters can been seen attempting to put out the flames with a hose, reports BristolLive.

This comes as planes have been grounded at Bristol Airport amid an extreme thunderstorm warning.

There is disruption at the airport as planes are currently unable to fly, according to travel monitoring service Inrix. Passengers are advised to check before they travel following the update posted at 6.53pm.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning due to last until 9pm tonight as the forecast indicates frequent lighting strikes and heavy rain in the impacted regions. Lightning has already been seen this evening over Bristol.

It has been reported that 850 passengers (5 flights) are being diverted from Bristol to Gatwick airport, EasyJet are reportedly providing coaches back to Bristol.

Traffic monitoring system Inrix said: “Disruption at Bristol Airport as flights are currently grounded due to flash thunderstorms.Passengers should check before they travel.”

A spokesperson for The Met Office said: “An area of thunderstorms moving east across the area will bring a spell of frequent lightning, gusty winds, torrential rain, and a few places, hail.

“The storms will be moving quickly reducing the potential for widespread large amounts of rain, but there is a few places could see 20-25 mm of rainfall in a short period in the most active storms, which could bring some brief flooding.

“The majority of impacts are likely to come from other hazards however, such as lightning striking buildings and causing power cuts, difficult driving conditions in heavy rain, and some localised damage to vulnerable structures by strong wind gusts or hail.”

The proposal, put forward by Taylor Wimpey, includes the demolition of Pilkington Fold Farm and would see residential development on a 16.53-hectare site currently used for agriculture and grazing.

Plans were first outlined in May when the developer set out its plans for potential housing development on the land.

Now, in a new update, the developer has been told that a screening opinion from the council will be required to determine whether an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is needed as part of the planning process.

The scheme would likely be brought forward as an outline application, meaning the principle of the development would be considered in the first instance.

Full details, known as reserved matters, would follow in a separate application if approved.

The site is described as a logical and “grey belt” location by Taylor Wimpey’s planning consultants, Lichfields.

The site is described in planning documents as “a suitable and logical grey belt site” on the edge of existing residential neighbourhoods.

Grey belt is a term coined by the Labour Government for traditionally green belt land, but which could be utilised for housing or economic development.

Pilkington Fold Farm, which sits at the centre of the site, would be demolished to make way for the new homes.

The farm dates back to the 18th century and is included on Bury Council’s draft local list.

However, planning documents state that the original buildings were demolished in the 20th century, and the farm now consists primarily of modern cattle sheds and stabling.

Taylor Wimpey said that in acknowledgement of the site’s historic background, the development would include “a deliberately informal, farmstead-inspired layout” and plans to build homes in “an ad hoc manner that broadly reflects the historic footprints of the former farmhouse, yard and associated outbuildings”.

The application states the development would include a village green, play space and public open space, along with measures to improve pedestrian access and integrate existing public footpaths.

Access to the site would be via Starling Road, with existing rights of way to be retained and incorporated into the masterplan.

The site is bordered by residential areas to the east and south, with open land to the west, and sits approximately 2.7km from Bury town centre.

It does not fall within a conservation area or sensitive environmental zone, though non-statutory ecological sites are located nearby.

The land is classed as Grade 4 (Poor Quality) agricultural land, with existing surface water flood areas to be addressed through sustainable drainage systems.

The proposed homes would be no higher than three storeys, and additional landscaping would be provided to screen the development from neighbouring properties.

Surveys are planned to assess potential impacts on bats, badgers, amphibians and barn owls.

Taylor Wimpey stated that a “full pack of supporting planning material will accompany the application.”

The company emphasises in its submission that “it is considered that the proposed development will not give rise to significant environmental effects which would require EIA”, but recognises that the final decision rests with the council.

The authority will make a decision at a later date.

In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

Infectiously entertaining romp featuring a cast having a whale of a time overdoes the jokey tone.

I am an unapologetic fan of the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie.

Yeah, I know it isn’t very good but nostalgia hits hard and the video tape – look it up kids – of the Dolph Lundgren-led adventure was worn out in my house.

It’s incredible that we’ve had to wait just shy of 40 years for another cinematic trip to Eternia .

But after many failed attempts to get another take on the hit 80s cartoon off the ground, Amazon MGM Studios have finally made the seemingly impossible happen.

Nicholas Galitzine stars as Adam , who discovers a secret legacy as the prince of an alien planet and looks to recover a magical sword and return home to protect his kingdom.

First thing’s first; Masters of the Universe 2026 is a blast. Bright, breezy – despite a two-hour-plus running time – and brimming with heart and hijinks, the flick should go down a storm with audiences, particularly those familiar with all things He-Man .

Director Travis Knight nailed 80s-flavoured action with 2018’s Bumblebee and he does a very good job here too.

Unlike the 1987 version, we spend most of the time in Eternia rather than Earth and all manner of colourful characters and Asgardian -like shiny locations bring the world to luscious life.

Galitzine excels as Adam , particularly during his fish-out-of-water routine, although his over-reliance on sensitivity feels very un- He-Man -like.

The film in general is too jokey. Don’t get me wrong, most of the humour lands but when even the otherwise intimidating Skeletor (a revelling-in-villainy Jared Leto) is aiming for laughs it takes away from the peril our heroes should be immersed in.

The story is also very reminiscent of Flash Gordon – complete with the presence of Queen on the soundtrack – and some of the CGI is distractingly weak.

Masters of the Universe 2026 doesn’t quite have all of the power, but everyone involved has a whale of a time and the infectious entertainment is sure to have youngsters repeatedly watching it on video… erm, sorry, via streaming services.

● How do you think the new Masters of the Universe compares to the 1987 version?

Pop me an email at ian.bunting@reachplc.com and I will pass on your comments – and any recommendations you have – to your fellow readers.

● Masters of the Universe is showing in cinemas now.

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